Promises to Keep
by OkinawaLover
Summary: He had to fight, Ichigo had assured her. For her safety. For their family's. She had told him, no promised him, that she would wait for him. And he had promised her that he would return back into her arms. Pained, Orihime waits for the day when they will be reunited once again.　Until then, it will rain. IchiHime Oneshot.


**Promises to Keep**

**This is my first fanfiction (I'm usually too lazy to write down my ideas into stories)so if you ever feel like it, reviews are appreciated. Especially things like what I can improve on and stuff. Yeah, I personally prefer IchiRuki slightly more than IchiHime, I honestly couldn't see Rukia doing what Orihime does here so it became IchiHime. This is a one-shot.**

**Author's Note: I obviously don't own Bleach, as awesome as that'd be. Actually I'm pretty sure that's a good thing for everyone else out there 0_0**

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The rain fell to the ground, irrhythmically pattering on the roof thatch of their house, just like the day he had first left.

To fight, Ichigo had assured her. For her safety. For their new family's. She had told him, no promised him, that she would wait for him. And he had promised her that he would return back into her arms.

"_Don't die. Don't die! You don't have to win. You don't have to keep trying! Just don't get hurt anymore, please!"_ Her desperate voice resonated through the fields and forest around them that day. But he left and she waited. Just as they had promised.

Standing patiently under the roof, she now gazed at the narrow, patchy path that led him away from her. Every night, she stood there, keeping watch for her beloved to return. Every night, whether blessed with the guiding light of the moon or not, she would wait for him, just as she had promised. And every night she retreated back into their house, face crestfallen, with desperate fleeting hope for the next night. Every night, every moon. She gazed at the path leading to their isolated cottage surrounded by a grass field and sparse forest.

The rain created round indentations in the dirt, like Ichigo's leave did to her heart. But she couldn't show it. For the sake of her son, she had to be strong. She couldn't cry in front of him, show the fear Mommy really felt inside.

_The rain clouds were dark, alone through the moonlight, cold and heavy drops plummeting. It was as if the skies were crying from sadness._

Softly, the auburn haired woman traced the smooth wood of the rectangular pillar that held up the roof to the entrance of their modest minka cottage. Underneath her pale, slender fingers, she felt small indentations, scratches left from their lives together, and she could remember what each and every one was from. One from the time Ichigo had scarped the wood while moving furniture inside when they began their lives together. Another from when their son was born, and Ichigo, who was off hunting hollows at the time, had rushed home when he heard his wife was giving birth to their first, and accidentally grazed the pillar with his zanpakuto. Suddenly, from behind her she heard soft mumbling.

"Mhmm… Daddy..."

Quietly, she glanced back into the house towards their son with admiration at the creation of the union between her and her beloved. He missed Ichigo just as much as she did. It was apparent whenever they would go to town to buy goods, his eyes would reflect a painful emptiness as they passed other children with their fathers- holding hands, riding their shoulders. But whenever he looked at her, he'd plaster on a smile so she wouldn't worry. And it killed her a little inside each time.

She had soothed him to sleep a while ago, his tiny, now five-year old body relaxed under his blanket, his chest faintly rising and falling in a gentle rhythm, a silent song. He took after his father so much, sometimes it hurt. His bright, rebellious orange hair, signature scowl when he threw his occasional tantrums, fierce stubbornness. The thing he held of her was her compassionate grey-violet eyes. But now, his eyes closed, cheeks a rosy pink, mouth softened into a slight pucker, huddled by the cozy burning square hearth, his usual fierceness melted into innocence. A warm, bubbly feeling rose in her chest as she watched him sleep, in turn soothing her. She smiled at the scene and gazed towards the narrow path again.

She leant on the pillar, as the sound of the patters entranced and mesmerized her. She had no idea how much time had passed- perhaps minutes, hours. This was her routine. Feeling her alertness start to die, she gave up for the night. There would always be a tomorrow and the next day. Biting her lower lip in disappointment, she started to walk back inside to the warm hearth awaiting her.

_The sound of irrhythmic footsteps. _Quickly, she spun around in view of the path. There was a dark figure staggering towards her, fighting the rain. She froze, grey eyes wide. The figure stopped for a few seconds, then began to stagger in her direction again. Deep in her heart, she knew who it was. As the figure staggered closer, the glowing moonlight of the full moon reflected a bright and fiery orange color. Now she knew for sure.

Her legs automatically began to slowly walk towards him, before progressing to a full out run, heart leaping with surprise and joy. It didn't matter that her clothes or anything were getting wet- none of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was that Ichigo had kept his promise.

She was only a foot away from him when she stopped. Her looking up at his bruised, bleeding face, him looking down at her, her long auburn hair now matted and flat. For a moment, it was silent- the sounds the rain disappeared. It was just them and them alone.

"Tadaima…" Ichigo whispered, a familiar smirk playing faintly on his lips.

His legs buckled beneath him as he fell to his knees, and she dropped too, catching him back into her chest, arms wrapped supportingly around his shoulders and head.

"Okaeri…" Orihime whispered back into Ichigo's ear, smiling relievedly, burying her head between his neck and shoulder. Perhaps she was imagining it, but although they were both drenched from the rain, and Ichigo was covered in traces of blood and of mud, she could still smell his familiar scent of faded strawberries about him.

"I promised you didn't I? That I'd come back." He softly chuckled into her.

Stroking through his wet, long orange hair, she replied, "And I promised you didn't I? That I'd wait."

They both quietly laughed to that.

A lengthy silence followed, where they reveled in simply being so close to each other, in simply being together at last.

"Ichigo," she murmured lovingly, nudging him gently. When there was no reply, she saw that Ichigo had fallen asleep in her arms. He must've been through so much but even then he still kept his promise, she thought.

And in a sudden, she began to tear up. Many moons worth of hidden tears to appear strong finally erupted, to the brink of emotions of relief, some worry, but mostly _love_. She didn't have to strong by herself anymore. She had Ichigo to share that with.

Her lips curved upwards. She hoped their son would son would someday find someone to share and become strong with. Someone that he felt the same way with about in the way she felt about Ichigo.

Love hurt. The waiting, the agony, the worry. But honestly, to her, it was worth all of it for moments like this, of pure bliss.

_The rain clouds were light, moving together through the moonlight, drizzling tiny droplets fading. It was as if the skies were crying from happiness._

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**Tadaima= I'm home (Basically something like that)**

**Okaeri= Welcome home/back (Basically something like that)**


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